Finding the Mother Tree: Uncovering the wisdom and intelligence of the forest, by Suzanne Simard

Author: Suzanne Simard. Review by Stevie Krayer.

Of the forty-odd books I read last year, by far the most inspiring – and the one I most wanted to urge other Quakers to read –was Finding the Mother Tree

Suzanne Simard is a widely-respected professor of Forest Ecology at the University of British Columbia. She has done more than anyone to uncover what came to be dubbed ‘the wood-wide web’ – the interdependence of trees and other forest life forms, and how they connect and communicate. But it took many years and persistent efforts to get there.
Simard started out as a shy, unassuming junior in the man’s world of timber production. But she soon realised that the received wisdom about how trees thrive was simply wrong. Her understanding was partly formed by her upbringing. The first sentence of her book reads: ‘For generations, my family has made its living cutting down forests.’ So Simard is not a fanatic; her family tradition makes her open to the fact that we need trees as a commodity. But the family also taught her that if you are too greedy, in the long run you will be the loser. Simard talks about ‘balance’ and says of nature, ‘There is an extraordinary generosity.’

Growing up among trees gave Sinard a thirst to know what makes forests tick. Over many years of patient research, and struggles for funding, she attempted to persuade the Canadian Forest Service to change their approach. Sexism was rife; she was often dismissed as naive and uninformed. Some were outraged that a mere girl presumed to question the (male) experts. Yet her approach was supported by a huge amount of meticulous research, while theirs had only free-market ideology behind it. There were many times when Simard, who comes across as gentle and unassertive, felt utterly discouraged. The destruction that resulted from misguided policies nearly drove her to despair. Her personal life was equally devastating. But somehow she kept going, encouraged by her supporters, and now her insights have become the accepted wisdom – though not by those who insist that ruthless competition is what makes the world go round.

The book interweaves a life story with scientific detective work, a tale as gripping as any novel. For the most part it is written engagingly and accessibly. There are times when her enthusiasm for her subject leads her to hard-going technical exposition, but some readers may enjoy that too. What I got was a powerful and inspiring example of an individual who was activated by deep love and respect for the forest and a desire to protect it. She persisted, year after year – even when she would have preferred to give up – to understand and share the truth about trees.

As for the meaning of the Mother Tree, you should read the book to find out for yourself. All Friends should appreciate this faithfulness to a Concern.

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